Today I Learned: A Collection of Facts We Didn’t Know We Needed to Know

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a beloved story told to kids every holiday season. Maybe it’s our preconceived notions and subconscious understanding of gender norms, but most of us assume Rudolph is a boy reindeer. However, scientists have gotten technical these last few years and have proposed quite a theory.

Technically speaking, Rudolph would be a female reindeer if this beloved Christmas tale occurred in real life. Male and female reindeer grow antlers, but males shed their antlers earlier than their female counterparts. Rudolph still has antlers in late December, making it pretty obvious to reindeer experts that he’s a girl, not a boy. The more you know!